The Voice of Reason: Essays in Objectivist Thought (The Ayn Rand Library, Vol V) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Leonard Peikoff (Editor, Introduction) "At a sales conference at Random House, preceding the publication of Atlas Shrugged, one of the book salesmen asked me whether I could present the..." (more)
Key Phrases: welfare statism, Ayn Rand, United States, Soviet Russia (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rand's strident right-wing rhetoric is on display in these posthumously collected essays. Upholding egoistic self-interest as the wellspring of capitalism, she derides liberals "crawling on their stomachs to Moscow" and targets "psychologizers" who excuse the behavior of "college-campus thugs" and criminals; in her estimation, the modern arts are a "sewer." Novelist ( Atlas Shrugged ) and self-styled Objectivist philosopher, Rand, who died in 1982, staunchly opposes a "mixed economy," a term which seems to stand for anything contrary to unregulated monopoly capitalism. Liberals should appreciate her diatribe against the Catholic Church's opposition to birth control and abortion. Her eulogy of Marilyn Monroe is sentimental and silly, while her argument to the effect that no psychologically balanced woman would want to be U.S. president is old-fashioned. In supplementary essays, Peikoff, an Objectivist follower of Rand, condemns the New Right's religious zeal and attacks socialized medicine.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Here is the final collection of articles and speeches by the bestselling and world-renowned novelist, essayist, and philosopher.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Plume (June 30, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452010462
• ISBN-13: 978-0452010468
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #163,597 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 5 in The Ayn Rand Library Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Amazon.com Bias, November 8, 2005

By	Copernicus Maximus (New York, NY, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon.com would do well to select a different Editorial Review, as the one from Publishers Weekly above displays some (willful?) misunderstanding of Rand's philosophy, Objectivism. In several books, Rand explains why she opposes monopolies. Yet, Publishers Weekly calls her a staunch proponent of "monopoly capitalism" -- a contradiction in terms, given that only government can hand out legal monopolies. The review also cites "Rand's strident right-wing rhetoric," employing two all-too-common biased journalistic terms -- 'right-wing' (a characterization which any thinker who reads Rand's passionate defenses of the right to abortion would find laughable), and 'rhetoric' (a dismissive term for those who don't have enough brainpower to successfully explain their disapproval).

Just because Amazon.com is headquartered in Seattle shouldn't mean that it has to adopt the silly political biases common to the region.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking, often prophetic essays, July 18, 2004

By	Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

These 31 pieces include magazine articles and lectures spanning twenty years, from 1961 to 1981. Four of the chapters are by Leonard Peikoff and one each by John Herman Randall and Peter Schwartz, and the book concludes with an epilogue by Peikoff.

Part One: Philosophy, consists of chapters elaborating on Rand's Objectivist philosophy. These include a discussion of the ideas of Aristotle, discussions on ethics, psychology, the ethics of altruism and a criticism of religion.

Part Two: Culture, investigates intellectuals, the culture vacuum, the flaws of liberal pragmatists, conservatives and businessmen. The death of Marilyn Monroe and the flight of Apollo 11 are discussed here. This section ends with a look at anti-Americanism in academia and the anti-conceptual methodology in the education system.

Part Three: Politics, explores various political issues like antitrust legislation, foreign aid, socialized medicine, women in politics and includes a scathing attack on the political movement called Libertarianism. The epilogue is the editor's memoirs of his 30 year association with Ayn Rand.

Each chapter begins with information indicating the original source of the article or lecture. In some instances there are references in brackets within the text itself or otherwise they appear as numbered footnotes at the end.

In my opinion, the best pieces are The Sanction Of The Victim (Chapter 15), Apollo 11 (Chapter 17), Assault From the Ivory Tower: The Professors' War Against America (Chapter 19), Medicine: The Death Of A Profession (Chapter 30), while the worst is About A Woman President (Chapter 26) in which Rand claims that the office is no place for a woman. Perhaps Ayn Rand would have changed her mind had she lived long enough to witness the achievements of Margaret Thatcher.

Whether one agrees with her philosophy or nor, Rand was a brilliant writer and prescient and original thinker. All her work remains stimulating today and much of it now seems prophetic. Not all of these pieces are great but they are all worth reading.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reflections of a Philosopher Artist, March 7, 2002

By	S. Greenhouse - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This volume contains a selection of lesser known columns, articles and essays from Ayn Rand's impressive oeuvre. The essays, etc. are arranged into three broad sections: Philosophy, Culture and Politics.

Page after page reveals profound insights into the intellectual atmosphere of the times. The writing is always informative and thought provoking, and quite often brilliant.

In short, this volume is especially suitable for readers already familiar with the gist of Ayn Rand's philosophy and literary writing.